Conveyer system



Feb. 8, 1944. w, TAYL-QRV A I 2,341,342

CONVEYER SYSTEM 5 Shets-Sheet 1 Original Filed April 29, 193 9 Feb. 8, 1944. w, TAYLOR T AL 2,341,342

CONVEYER SYSTEM Original Filed April 29, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Feb. 8, 1944 I CONVEYER SYSTEM William J. Taylor, deceased, late of Syracuse, N. Y., by Ingeborg Taylor, administratrix, Syracuse, N. Y., and John E. Regan and Albert N. Klyver, Syracuse, N. Y., and Paul R. Kuhn, San Francisco, Calif., assignors to Lamson Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a. corporation of New York -rigina'l application April 29, 1939, Serial No.

270,728. Divided and this. application December 29, 1941, Serial No. 424,816

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improvement in conveyer systems, and more particularly to an improvementin the loading mechanism by which loads are supplied to and properly centered upon a vertically traveling elevator carriage. The present application is a division of ourcopending application Serial No. 270,728, filed April 29, 1939, now Patent No. 2,270,357, issued Jan. 20; 1942.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a loading mechanism comprising a platform over which the loads, usually in the form of tote boxes, are advanced, a plurality of movable stops by which the advance of the loads is checked, and devices so connected with the stops that the simultaneous tripping of certain devices by a load causes the stops to move out of checking position and allow the load to advance past such stops.

This and other objects of the invention will appear from an examination of the following description and of the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which Fig. 1 illustrates in side elevation a loading platform embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of such platform with the carriage positioned therein;

Figs. 3, 4 and are side elevations, on larger scale, of portions of the platform, being taken along the lines 3-3, 4--4 and 5-5 respectively on Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 on Fig. 2; and

Figs. '7 and 8 are a diagrammatic plan view and a wiring diagram respectively illustrative of the mode of operation of the load-checking stops.

Each loading station I00 comprises a frame formed by vertical beams IOI extending from the floor and suitably located crossbeams I02, This frame forms a vertical well provided with vertical tracks I04 on which travels intermittently an elevator carriage I05. The elevator carriage is operated by a motor (not shown) through chains I08, one end of each chain I08 being attached to the carriage I05. The elevator carriage I05 comprises a transverse beam II5, uprights II6 fixed at the ends of the beam H5, and a platform II1 formed by longitudinally extending beams II8 supported upon a transverse beam I I9 resting on the beam I I5 and secured to said beams I I 9 and 5 by angle bars I and braces I2I.

At the bottom of the well is mounted an inwardly inclined loading platform I30 by which loads are delivered to the platform I I1 of the elevator carriage. The loading platform I30 comprises six sections arranged in two groups of three sections each and suitably spaced apart to permit the beams I I5 and H8 of the carriage to pass freely between the groups. Each section includes freely rotatable rollers I3I over which the load travels, said rollers being mounted in U-shaped strips, the outer leg of the-strip on each outer section being extended to form a load guide I32.

The loads supplied to the elevator carriage are usually in the form of tote boxes which vary in size and for convenience have been divided into three classes. In order to ensure that the boxes are properly positioned upon the carriage certain means are employed. The boxes are supplied .fromthe right side of the well, as shown in Fig.

1. The sections at the left carry stops by which the boxes are centrally positioned longitudinally. Such stops are divided into three classes, stationary stops I35, m0vable roller stop I36 and movable roller stops I31. The stop I36 includes an arm I40 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends and a solenoid II, the stop being normally in the raised operative position as shown in Fig. 4 and depressed when the solenoid is energized. Each stop I31 similarly includes a pivotally mounted arm I42 and solenoid I43 and is depressed when the solenoid is energized.

Suitably located in the loading platform are a plurality of circuit makers designated I50, I5I, I52, I53 and I54, each provided with an arm tripped by a tote box passing thereover. The circuit maker I50 is of the single type including normally open contacts. The normally open contacts of circuit maker I50 are in series with the normally open contacts of circuit maker I54 and when these circuit makers are tripped simultaneously by a load the solenoid MI is energized to depress the stop I36. The normally open contacts of circuit maker I5I are in series with the normally open contacts of circuit makers I52 and I53, and when these three circuit makers are tripped simultaneously by a load the solenoids I43 are energized to depress the stops I31. I The loading operation will be considered with reference to the three sizes of tote boxes. The stops I35 and I31 are normally in the position shown to check the movement of the tote boxes. The successive tripping of circuit makers I50 and I5I by the smallest box has no effect upon the positioning features under consideration. This box, however, advances against the stops I31 and holds the circuit makers I52, I53 and I54 tripped. The medium sized box trips the circuit maker I50 Without effect but is large enough so that it simultaneously trips the circuit makers I5I, I52, I53 and I54 which cause the depression of the stops I31 and allow the box to advance into contact with the stop I36, and hold the circuit makers I52, I53 and I54 tripped. The largest box is of such size that it trips all the circuit makers simultaneously, whereupon the circuit makers I5I, I52 and I53 coact to cause the depression of the stops I31, and the circuit makers stop I36 so that the box advances over the deressed stops I36 and I3! into contact with the stationary stops I35 and holds the circuit makers I52, I53 and I54 tripped.

The central positioning of the boxes laterally is controlled by the guides I32 and also by the circuit makers I52 and I53. As pointed out above, these circuit makers are in series at all times, and unless a box is so positioned that it trips these circuit makers simultaneously, the energizing relay circuit cannot be closed and the elevation of the carriage will not b initiated.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that it is not limited thereto and that other embodiments thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claim,

We claim:

In a conveyer system, a platform over which articles are advanced in one direction, stops for limiting the advance of said articles, certain of said stops being stationary and other of said stops being movable into and out of operative position, the movable stops being normally in the operative position and ahead of the stationary stops, control devices positioned and arranged to be tripped by the articles as they are advanced, and-connections between said devices and said movable stops, the stationary stops being arranged in a row across the path of travel of the articles and the movable stops being arranged I50 and I54 coact to cause the depression of the in two parallel planes extending transversely of the length of the platform and at difierent distances respectively from the row of stationary stops and the control devices being spaced along such path of travel so that the number of devices which will be simultaneously tripped depends upon the sizes of the articles, the parts being so constructed and arranged that the simultaneous tripping of certain control devices by an article of one size moves the movable stops in the transverse plane farthest from the row of stationary stops into inoperative position and allows the article to advance past such stops into contact with a stop in the transverse plane nearest to the fixed stops, and the simultaneous tripping of the same and other control devices by an article of a greater size will move the movable stops disposed in both of said transverse planes into inoperative position and allow said larger article to advance past all of the movable stops and into contact With the row of stationary stops.

INGEBORG TAYLOR, Administratrisc of the Estate of William J. Taylor,

Deceased.

JOHN E. REGAN. ALBERT N. KLYVER. PAUL R. KUHN. 

